Both sides agree outcome of election will change future.

Jan. 21, 2012

Written by

News-Leader

Stout

FORUMS PLANNED

Several upcoming forums offer local voters a chance to learn more about the proposal and discuss potential pros and cons with others.Jan. 26 Immigration in America: How Do We Fix a System in Crisis?The Greene County office of University of Missouri Extension is hosting three public discussions meant to give participants “a hands-on experience with a research-based technique for discussing community issues.”Participants will discuss the topic of immigration at a national level as well as the local E-Verify proposal that’s set to appear on Springfield ballots Feb. 7.Sessions will be held at 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. in the east classroom at Springfield-Greene County Botanical Center, 2400 S. Scenic Ave.Programs are free, but pre-registration is required. Call (417) 881-8909 to sign up or go online to http://extension.missouri.edu/ greene for more information.See related story about upcoming forum on immigrants’ impact on agriculture on Page 1E.Jan. 31 A Civil Discussion on E-Verify Co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Southwest Missouri and the Springfield/Greene County Civility Project, this panel discussion will be held 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Central High School Auditorium, 423 E. Central St.Jerry Wilson, spokesman for E-Verify petitioners and the Ozarks Minutemen and Joe Jenkins, an owner of Jenkins Diesel Power, Inc., will speak in support of the proposal.Yolanda Lorge, president of Grupo Latinoamericano, and Tim Rosenbury, an architect and partner in Butler Rosenbury & Partners, will speak in opposition.More information about the meeting is available online at: lwvswmo.org/go.Questions can be submitted to the News-Leader.Email: letters@news-leader.com Put “E-Verify question” in the subject field USPS E-Verify question News-Leader 651 Boonville Ave.Springfield, MO 65836 News-Leader fax: (417) 837-1381 Feb. 2 Springfield E-Verify Ballot Initiative Education forum Missouri State University also has planned a moderated panel discussion from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Meyers Library auditorium.Kenneth Coopwood, vice president for diversity and inclusion at Missouri State, will moderate the program.Ozarks Minutemen Jerry Wilson and Jerry Long will speak in support of the proposed ordinance. Joe Robles, a local businessman, and Michael Stout, assistant professor of sociology at MSU, will represent opponents.

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Springfield voters deciding whether businesses should be required to use E-Verify will have to make a decision with little evidence of a problem.

Supporters and opponents of the proposal agree that no definitive measure of the extent of illegal immigration in the city exists.

Leaders of the Ozarks Minutemen say Springfield needs to pass the controversial ordinance to protect itself from a potential surge in illegal workers.

They cite their observations, experiences of living in U.S. border states and reports from "credible sources" as evidence that an illegal population already exists.

"They are doing behind the scenes-type work. They are in the back preparing food or making beds after the guests leave," said Minutemen director Jerry Long.

The Minutemen did not provide quantitative data to support the claim.

"They don't have any data because no one particularly has any data," said Vanessa Crawford, executive director of Missouri Immigrant and Refugee Advocates.

The Pew Hispanic Center estimates the number of illegal immigrants in Missouri to be between 35,000 and 75,000.

No reliable estimate for Springfield is available.

Some information -- a number that represents the only quantifiable measure of people suspected of being in the Springfield area illegally -- was obtained from the Greene County Jail.

Maj. Kevin Spaulding, who oversees jail operations for the Greene County Sheriff's Office, said 49 people brought to the jail last year were eventually held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

Jail staffers contact federal immigration agents when an inmate is found to be an illegal immigrant or if the immigration status cannot be determined.

Noting that almost 20,000 people passed through the jail in 2011, Spaulding referred to the number of inmates held by immigration agents as "insignificant."

It is not clear how many of those inmates were eventually deported.

Spaulding added that the number of inmates on immigration holds has been trending downward over the last few years.

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In 2010, there were 70 inmates held. In 2009, there were 79.

List of behaviors

Minutemen members have provided a list of behaviors that, they say, are typical of illegal immigrants.

Some of these behaviors include an inability to speak English, having tattoos associated with foreign gangs and several adults living at the same address.

Leaders of the Minutemen stress that no single behavior is suspicious by itself but if the "overall picture" matches, authorities should be notified.

Some say it is impossible to use these behaviors to assume immigration status.

"There's a lot of people who are legal permanent residents who the Minutemen say appear to be undocumented," Crawford said.

According to U.S. Census data, there are more than 200,000 foreign-born people in Missouri. More than 40 percent of those people are legal residents, according to the 2009 American Community Survey.

More than 120,000 are in the state legally through temporary visas, according to data from the Department of Homeland Security Office of Immigration Statistics.

There are several different types of temporary visas issued by the U.S. including those for workers, students and families.

"Do they think the legal immigrants act any differently from the illegal ones?" asked Michael Stout, assistant professor in the sociology, anthropology and criminology department at Missouri State University.

"That's absolutely ridiculous."

Nonetheless, the Minutemen say the proposed ordinance is a protective measure.

If voters "pass up this opportunity, they will wake up six, seven, eight years in the future and realize their community has changed dramatically for the worse," said spokesman Jerry Wilson.

Stout argues the Minutemen have no real evidence to support their claims but use alarmist language to play on people's fears.

He did an analysis of census and workforce numbers. Even accepting some questionable conclusions by the Minutemen, Stout said their estimates break down to show no more than about 0.6 percent of Springfield's workforce as undocumented Hispanic workers.

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More generally, Stout argues the Minutemen suggest immediate action is needed to stop a flood of illegal immigrants. He asked rhetorically: "Why is this our last chance to do something?"

"They don't have any evidence that we have a problem here or that their petition is a good solution."

Consequences

Both sides agree that the stakes are high for Question 1 on the February ballot.

"Once an area becomes established as a haven for illegal immigrants, it continues to draw more," Long said.

Wilson said Springfield would then experience "a drain on social services caused by poorly educated, minimum-wage workers" coming here illegally, as well as "a drain on the public school system caused by students with limited (English) language and communication ability."

Wilson went on to list negative effects for hospitals, neighborhoods, wages and jobs.

Opponents of the ordinance list a very different set of consequences if the measure is approved by voters.

"It would encourage people to be suspicious," Stout said.

Stout, who participates in a study of civic engagement, says Springfield's small immigrant population would feel less willing to participate in the community.

Yolanda Lorge, president of Grupo Latinoamericano in Springfield, believes the E-Verify debate has already emboldened some who are suspicious of foreigners.

Lorge said she has received recent reports from local immigrants who say strangers have approached them and asked to see their immigration documents.

"This is the environment that these people are creating," Lorge said.

"People are misunderstanding what their role is, and (if the measure passes) they are gonna feel they have the right to be asking."